's r -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the g-20 summit but political tensions with russia escalate. we are live in brisbane this hour. the view from ukraine's front lines. we have a live report from the country's war-torn east and protesters in ferguson, missouri accuse him of police brutality. we hear from officer darren wilson supporters who are defending his reputation. hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, i'm zane asher. leaders have been heading home over the past couple of hours

and over the past two days they've made agreements on fighting climate change and ebola. as well as boosting the global economy. member countries also had strong words for russia's president vladimir putin over its actions in ukraine. senior white house correspondent jim acosta is live for us in brisbane. jim, this summit was supposed to be about global economic growth. it looks as though vladimir putin's frosty receptions seems to have overshadowed everything. >> you know, it absolutely did, zain. at a news conference that wrapped up this g-20 summit, president obama took note of the fact that he had several conversations with vladimir putin over the course of the last week when the president was in beijing at the apec summit and at the g-20 summit in brisbane, australia. president took note of the fact that vladimir putin did get a rough ride in brisbane, australia. when asked about what his conversation was like with the russian leader, the president

didn't offer a whole lot much new details. he described the conversations they had as blunt and business-like. what was also interesting, zain, as european leaders are talking about new sanctions against moscow over the crisis in ukraine, the president didn't really go in that direction, didn't really hunt that more sanctions from the u.s. aimed at russia are on the way. here's a bit of what the president had to say. >> i had naturally several interactions with president putin during the course of the apec summit and then here at the g-20. i would characterize them as typical of our interactions which are business-like and blunt. and my communications to him was no different than what i've head publicly as well as what i've said privately over the course of this crisis in ukraine.

>> reporter: when pressed on whether or not he might support new expanding sanctions against russia, the president later said those sanctions are buying enough as they are. on another front, zain, during this news conference i asked the president about the current u.s. military campaign, u.s.-led military campaign against isis in iraq and in syria. the reason i asked that question is because the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, martin dempsey, he's in iraq right now. he's been saying in recent days, testified on capitol hill, that perhaps he might recommend situations where situations where u.s. ground forces might have to go into combat. i asked the president if he supported that. >> yes, there are always circumstances in which the united states might need to deploy u.s. ground troops. if we discover that isil had

gotten possession of a nuclear weapon and we had to run an operation to get it out of their hands, then, yes, you can anticipate that not only would chairman dempsey recommend we sending you as ground troops to get that weapon out of their hands but i would order it. >> and on a couple of domestic concerns, the president was asked about some republican threats back in washington to shut down the government if mr. obama goes ahead and decides to sign an executive order providing deportation relief to millions of undocumented immigrants back in the u.s. the president took note of the fact that mitch mcconnell, the incoming in senate majority leader has promised there would not be another government shutdown in washington. sort of a reminder to the republicans that they've said they're not going to go there. one thing he did point out will be news for our u.s. viewers back in the united states.

the president did say he has received the legal guidance from attorney general eric holder on how far he could go with executive action on immigration. no question, just looking back at the president's trip, he left washington as a lame duck who was bruised politically. the president closed the trip out with remarks in which he said this has been a strong week for american leadership. he's certainly feeling a lot better about his standing in the world after this week-long trip to asia. zain? >> i'm sure he is. speaking of executive action and domestic issues, you emergencied immigration. i want to talk about climate change. the president did talk about $3 billion set aside for poorer countries to deal with climate change. he made interesting comments about the keystone pipeline. tell us about that. >> reporter: that's right. that's been an ongoing issue back in the u.s. republicans very much would like to see this oil pipeline that

the canadians want built through the u.s. there are even conservative democrats who would like to see that pipeline built. the president let the state department go through this lengthy analysis for environmental reasons as to whether or not it's the right move for the u.s. the president said he's going to let that process continue on, that he's not going to force the state department's hand in putting out that analysis, that environmental analysis. the president took note of the fact. he did this the other day in myanmar. there's a state dispute in the state of nebraska over where that pipeline might go through nebraska. and so the president really sort of holding firm to that particular point of view despite the fact that a lot of republicans back in washington are promising to enact legislation that would force his hand. of course the president would not sign that into law. another flash point for the president when he gets back to washington with congressional republicans, zain. >> he's holding firm with the keystone pipeline and immigration as well. jim acosta, thank you.

have a safe trip back to washington. we appreciate it. washington's chairman of the joint chief of staff, general martin dempsey as jim acosta just mentioned, made an unannounced visit to iraq on saturday. he says the tide is turning in the battle against isis in iraq. arwa game e damon reports on th significance of this trip. >> reporter: america's top military man's surprise visit to iraq, a clear indication of how serious washington is taking the situation. general martin dempsey meeting with the iraqi prime minister. according to a statement by his office, the two spoke about progress being made by the iraqi security forces. general dempsey traveled on to irbil, meeting with the prime minister there as well. part of this next phase of the u.s.-led mission and coalition is to focus on training of security forces. 12 units, part of the initial

effort, nine of them iraqi army, three of them peshmerga, the kurdish fighting force. general dempsey also speaking with america's militarien kmaders on the ground wanting to get an idea of what exactly it is they need to be able to move this mission forward. general dempsey is very aware of the situation on the ground, having been the commander of the first armored division in the initial years of the war and then moving on to head up america's effort to train and equip the iraqi security forces. this assessment is vital. part of the reason why isis was able to take over such great territory in iraq is because of the u.s.'s, perhaps, underestimation of their capabilities but also overestimation of the capacity and cohesiveness of the iraqi security forces that america left behind. that is not a mistake that the u.s. or the region can afford to see happen once again.

arwa damon, cnn, turkey. the u.s. doubling the number of military advisers in iraq. once again, not ruling out the possibility of ground troops. okay. up next, parts of the donetsk region in eastern ukraine are about to be cut off. we'll tell you about a big move from ukraine's president. also, a doctor with ebola has arrived in the u.s. to be treated. straight ahead, what we know about his condition. that's coming up.

dutch officials have started recovering the wreckage of the plane crash. they will reconstruct a section of the aircraft. it's all part of the investigation into the cause of the deadly crash. western leaders at this weekend's g20 summit demanded justice for the 298 people killed in the july downing of mh17. the entire recovery operation is expected to take several days. ukraine's president has taken the first step towards cutting off all government funds and is ofs to pro-russian rebels in eastern ukraine. petro poroshenko issued a decree saturday calling for all state-owned companies and institutions to stop services in donetsk and luhansk within a week. the order comes off rebel leaders from the donetsk region held their new government's first official meeting.

in the meantime, shelling continues in the east, despite a cease-fire reached in september. phil black joins us live from eastern ukraine. phil, one of the points in the cease-fire agreement says, i'm quoting here, both sides, both the russian rebels and ukraine, should adopt a program of economic recovery in the donetsk region. is poroshenko violating this agreement by the decree? >> add it to the list. both sides accuse each other of breaching the agreement in many ways and fundamental ways. ukrainian government is angry that the separatist decided to persist with regional elections a couple weeks back, elections that kiev doesn't recognize, they say has taken place outside of ukrainian law. there's the most fundamental of breaches which you touched on. the fighting continues.

the cease-fire has never been really been respected. you really get a sense of that as we did when we visited the front line effectively on the ukrainian side. some of its most forward positioned military unit. that's where we went to. this is what we saw. fighters in the mist, this armed camp is an exposed outpost of the ukrainian military. about 30 men, volunteers from the capital, defending a narrow finger of land. their tanks, weapons and defenses point to east, south and west. their enemy is close, somewhere through that haze. they say the pro-russian separatists regularly attack. >> this they say is shrapnel. chained into that position from yesterday. >> reporter: they say two men

were killed here yesterday, 40 in the last month. to these men, september cease-fire means nothing. so do russia's denials about sending fighters and weapons across the border to help the separatists. they say they know they're fighting russians and they expect a major attack very soon. to prepare for it, they have been working underground. >> this is where dozens of these men sleep at a time. you can see there's one catching some rest just here. they dug this for themselves only a few weeks ago. concrete ceilings, timber supports. they desperately hope this would be able to withstand a direct hit from rocket, ar rilty or mortar strike. in this place where they sleep, you can see they read, keep cigarettes. it is so close to where the action is. out through this door, come and have a look. defensive trenches heading in that direction and the other direction as well.

because the fighters here tell us that only about 800 meters that way are the forces of the pro-russian separatists. >> reporter: a short drive away is another town, what's left of it. this is government territory. locals say artillery fired by both sides falls here almost every day, often destroying homes. this is a strange, eerily quiet place but clearly it has not always been so. most of the people here have left. the locals tell us it's mostly the young people that have gone behind the old remain. they say they are too scared and they don't know where else to go. this 73-year-old woman tells me the terror of living under bombardment. she says she feels like her heart will jump from her body. she's too scared to eat or sleep. these people have little food or power. they dread the coming winter. and they don't care who rules over them, they just want peace.

zain, russia continues to insist it has no military presence in those separatist regions of ukraine. that is in the face of different assessments from nato, from the ukrainian government which says russia has sent in large numbers of troops, heavy and sophisticated weapons over the last week. the ukrainian assessment is that a major attack is coming, they believe. those soldiers, those fighters that we met, they say they are committed and they believe they can stop such an attack. but they do not have the skills, resources, discipline of a professional fighting force. they are volunteers. so in the event of an attack, along the lines that the ukrainian government is predicting, involving significant help and practical assistance from russia, those men would find it very difficult to hold that position for very long, zain. >> we just heard from the g live

20 summit, western leaders have said that sanctions against russia will continue if armed rebels continue entering eastern ukraine. phil black, live in eastern ukraine, thank you, we appreciate it. in the capital city , demonstrators are angry at the inaction that political leaders have shown in condemning russia's actions in ukraine this year. to the u.s. where a doctor suffering from ebola is in extremely condition. he's a sierra leone national and a permanent u.s. resident. was treating patients as a volunteer for the methodist church in sierra leone when he became ill. >> i knew it wasn't going to be rosie. i took this job not because i want to but i firmly believe it was a calling, and that god

wanted me to. >> doctors say that his case is, quote within an hour-by-hour situation but that he is surrounded by highly trained specialists. meanwhile about 160 chinese health workers have arrived in liberia saturday to help treat ebola patients. they'll start a new $41 million clinic run solely by chinese personnel. china has been criticized for its initial response to the ebola crisis. the country's africa's largest trade partner. its foreign minister says it will send a total of 480 medical staffers to work at the center. the world health organization counts more than 14,000 confirmed or suspected cases of ebola in west africa. more than 5,100 of those have been fatal. the vast majority of these are, as you know, in liberia, guinea and sierra leone, which has seen a sharp increase in the number of cases in the past week.

w.h.o. or world health organization officials also confirm the deaths in mali, confirm three deaths in mali but say the outbreaks in senegal and nigeria are officially over. to sao paulo, brazil, where thousands of demonstrators rallied against the newly elected president. her government is allegedly linked to a corruption scandal involving brazil's main oil company. some protesters are demanding her impeachment. >> reporter: more than 3,000 people have taken to the streets here in sao paulo to denounce political corruption. this comes in the middle of a massive investigation into a bribery scandal involving the state oil company and members of the ruling workers party. now, what people here say they want is the impeachment of the president, re-elected last month and the end of what they're calling the cubanization of brazil.

>> translator: we are quickly going down the path of dictatorship. just like venezuela. it's hard to believe our president wants democracy here. >> translator: we want her impeached because we can't take any more corruption and robbery. >> reporter: there's been incredible polarization in this country, ever since presidential elections. a few people have been calling her military intervention to overthrow the president. just a couple days ago we saw another protest with over 7,000 people showing their support for the government and calling these right wing activists. and with this kind of polarization, we're likely to see for the good part of the next four years. cnn, sao paulo. >> brazil's police have arrested 18 people as part of this corruption scandal. new details about the deadly police shooting in ferguson,

missouri, cast new light on that fateful day in august. ahead. attorneys' eaction eactions to revelation. that's coming up. and this one does wonders for me. and when they combine... ♪ [ door closes ] [ kid ] mom! [ female announcer ] k-y brand yours and mine. [ door closes ] [ kid ] mom! wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com no more calling around. no more hassles. start shopping from a list of top-rated providers today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today. [ female announcer ] aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion has active naturals® oat with five vital nutrients.

[ aniston ] because beautiful skin goes with everything. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results™. a secure retirement. a new home. earning your diploma. providing for your family. real associates, using walmart's benefits to build better lives for their families. opportunity. that's the real walmart. four workers killed after a chemical leak at a factory in texas. another employee from this

dupont plant has been hospitalized but is expected to recover. the factory's manager said the leak won't pose a threat to the surrounding community. >> as it left the site and was in the air, it dissipated to an amount where it wasn't hazardous. again, there was air monitoring done and the local emergency response agencies made that decision that there was no health hazard to the community as the odor left the site. >> and the leaked chemical produces the rotten egg smell in natural gas, making leaks more noticeable. it's also used in insecticides. u.s. president barack obama's next big fight when he returns home from the g20 summit is immigration. he'll be up against the republican-controlled congress. former u.s. president bill clinton spoke out saturday for the first time since those elections and he said that president obama's decision to hold off on immigration reform may have hurt democratic turnout.

>> there was a collapse of the youth vote. the african-american vote held fairly steady and was remarkable given that we had a little bit of a loss of the hispanic vote, perhaps because the president didn't issue the immigration order but it was a tough call for him, because had he done so, a lot of the others would have lost by even more. it was a difficult call. >> clinton also said the lack of a clear message on other key issues also played a role in the election day losses. attorneys for the black teen killed by a white policeman in the u.s. city of ferguson, missouri, say newly released information refutes claims that the officer acted in self-defense. michael brun's shooting by officer darren wilson touched off months of sometimes violent protests. a grand jury could decide at any moment whether to indict wilson for that killing. the protesters in ferguson, officer darren wilson has come

to personify police brutality. the 28-year-old policeman has not legally been accused of anything. as ted roland reports, there are many people around ferguson who hope he remains free. >> reporter: darren wilson has remained in hiding for more than three months, his supporters of which there are many, have also been relatively sideline the since showing initial public and very vocal support for wilson. >> we wanted to declare we steadfastly believe officer darren wilson's actions on august 9th were warranted and justified. >> reporter: barney's irish sports pub in st. louis were the site of two rallies. public contribution for his legal fees have totaled more than $400,000. >> right, wrong or indifferent he has to be afforded the due process. >> reporter: darren wilson served with the ferguson police department for four years. he started his career in the city of jennings, another

st. louis suburb that in 2011 disbanded its entire police force in part because of racial tensions between white officers and black residents. wilson was born in texas but spent most of his life near st. louis an by all accounts his childhood was difficult, his mother divorced twice, charged with forgery in the year 2000 and pled guilty to stealing thousands of dollars. his mom died when darren was just 16 years old. jake shepard is a friend of darren wilson's. >> it makes me sad, you know. i'm obviously sad for the family of michael brown but i'm sad for darren and his family, too. every law enforcement officer dreads the time when they are forced to make that split-second decision whether or not they have to take someone's life. >> reporter: in february of this year, wilson was commended for his work during a traffic stop where he managed to arrest a man allegedly in the midst of a drug

deal. now as he faces the possibility of criminal charges for killing michael brown, supporters inside barney's say they're worried that darren wilson may not get a fair shake. >> he's done as far as his career is concern. everybody is wondering why we're raising money for him. he has to live and survive. >> reporter: wilson reportedly testified for four hours in front of the grand jury to tell his side of what happened in august when he shot and killed michael brown. while many people around the country are hoping that wilson will face charges for killing brown, there is a group of supporters that hope that officer wilson will remain a free man. ted rowlands, cnn, ferguson. >> that grand jury decision could come any day now. officials in ferguson are urging for calm and peace regardless of the results. anger over 43 missing college students in mexico continues to grow. ahead, we'll show you how those student supporters have shut down one mexican town. plus, a beloved american

comedian's response to sexual assault allegations. that's coming up after this. coughing can really be disruptive. delsym helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours with an advanced time release formula for all day or all night relief. bianca! [cheering] delsym. silence is relief.

welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm zain asher. the g20 summit in brisbane, australia is now over. they want russia to stop interfering or face more sanctions. the group also made agreements on boosting the global economy as well as fighting climate change and ebola as well. petro poroshenko issue a decree to stop cutting off all

state services in rebel-held eastern regions, that includes school, emergency and eventually banking services as well. his orders come after rebel leaders from the donetsk region held their new government's first official meeting. and we've just learned in the past hour that an ebola patient in the u.s. is in extremely critical condition. dr. martin sailia was born in sierra leone and was diagnosed while volunteering there. he's also a perm nan resident here in the united states. he's being treated at the same nebraska hospital who successfully treated two other ebola patients as well. anger tonights to build in mexico. seven weeks after dozens of college students disappeared. they were studying to become teachers and now they are feared dead. a teachers union is blaming mexico's government for their disappearance. rosa flores has more on the growing demand for answers and action. >> reporter: in guerrero they're

known for some of the most explosive demonstrations. the fire department just arrived. guess what, not only are the cars burning but the inside of the building is also burning. all this in support of the search for 43 missing students. lunging at police. a cnn camera catches protesters taking an officer captive during a tug of war over a bridge. he was later released. the protesters are members of a teachers union from all over the southern mexican state of guerrero. when night falls, a stark contrast. soft spoken people enjoying time with friends and family. the protesters granted cnn rare access inside their tent city in the main square of guerrero's capital.

they shut down city hall and moved in days after the 43 students went missing. it's been more than a month. >> how much teachers are there? 5,000? the announcement more than a week ago by mexico's attorney general that three drug gang members confessed to killing the sturnts only made the protesters more angry. to date, no dna evidence has been presented. he says they feel the pain that the parents of these missing students are feeling. >> reporter: little sleep happens here. teachers take turn guarding their makeshift home at night and protesting during the day. >> i was asking him about the charred cars, the charred buildings, if we are to expect more of the same. and he says, that yes, they're ready to do more of the same.

>> reporter: everyone in the ten the city has a home, a family, a job. even though the basings of living are rough, she says there's public showers where they are able to take 20 pace sews and thake a shower. they don't plan on going anywhere until the students are found. he says the flag is a symbol of their fight. don't mistake their countness in the camps for weakness on the streets. protesters taking it to a whole other level. they vow to make the government listen to their demands. rosa flores, cnn, mexico. and the mayor of iguala has been charged in the disappearance of those students with six counts of aggravated home side. an american woman jailed in east timor can be getting the

help she wants. a former president of east timor is coming to her aid. cnn's susan candiotti has more. >> reporter: it's the first glimpse of stacey addison on video since she was jailed and strip searched in a women's prison near it's nenia. her haircut thanks to prison rules. >> she is depressed, for someone like her coming from oregon, backpacking around the world finds herself in a prison. you cannot expect her to be not depressed. >> reporter: cnn was granted exclusive access to the oregon veterinarian but no interview allowed. she's meeting with her lawyer and to her left, nobel peace prize winner jose ramos horta, the former president who offered

to help. addison's world travel adventure interrupted she says when police surrounded a taxi she was sharing with a stranger. addison's lawyer says the indonesian man stopped to pick up a package that turned out to have drugs, adding addison was a victim of circumstance. >> my instincts is that she is completely innocent. cops accidentally, wrong place, wrong time. >> reporter: the package reportedly contained methamphetamine, allegedly hidden inside shower equipment. >> she sounds like she's getting more discourage. >> reporter: with the help of the u.s. embassy, stacey's latest letter to her mother describes good treatment but also nightmares. >> every night i have nightmares and wake up around 3:00 a.m. >> reporter: i'm not sure if the nightmares at night or my waking nightmares are worse, addison

writes. i cannot believe this is happening. u.s. officials meet weekly with addison and remain in contact with officials who say addison is being help as a witness in a criminal case. >> there are questions as to whether there's any evidence linking her to these allegations and we have requested that the legal process be expedited. >> reporter: this week, expats meeting, to see what they can do to lend a hand to the 41-year-old veterinarian who quit her job to see the world and apparently got more than she bargained for. susan candiotti, cnn, new york. it's an unfunny time for one of america's best known funny men. allegations he sexually assaulted women in several incidents many years ago. as alexandra field reports, the 77-year-old comedian is maint n

maintaining his silence for now. >> reporter: for years allegations of rape have plagued bill cosby. given the chance to address them he said nothing and a lot is being said about that. from twitter, cosby was on npr with camille to not talk about those rape allegations. his answer revealed more than words ever could. still, painful to watch a cornered bully cower. >> there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days. you're shaking your head no. i'm in the news business. i have to ask the question. do you have any response to those charges? shaking your head no. there are people who love you who might like to hear from you about this. i want to give you the chance.

all right. >> reporter: simon promoted the interview on twitter saying he asked about rape charges, listen and decide if he says yes or no. after the interview, simon tweeted, i hated to have to ask about charges in front of misses cosby. one listener responds, leave bill cosby alone. another says i know there might be legal ramifications if he speaks out but being silent sure makes you look guilty. the internet lit up with attacks on cosby earlier this week after the comedian unvited followers to caption classic pictures. here are some of the responses. my two favorite things, jell-o pudding and rape. look at this wacky shirt i'm wearing, also, i'm a serial rapist. cosby has never been charged with a crime. his lawyers repeatedly deny allegations made years ago when several women came forward claiming they had been sexually assaulted by cosby.

among them, barbara bowman. >> after going to my agent and the lawyer and getting smacked down both times, i said let me move on with my life and let it go. >> reporter: bowman's believes cosby's silence says it all. a simple shake of the head is implication of a man whose heart is heavily burdened with shame. alexandra field, cnn, new york. >> a lot of people surprised by his response or lack thereof. another tech giant is headed to the new frontier of space. coming up, why google is paying huge bucks to operate this nasa hangar that's large enough to hold six football fields. over 200,000 people are hospitalized every year with flu complications. so to kill the germs that may make your family sick, we recommend using lysol disinfectant spray every day. lysol is approved to kill 80 germs, including hard to kill viruses that can live on surfaces

for over 4 weeks. it works on hard and soft surfaces to help stop the spread of bacteria. so help keep your family healthy with lysol.

this is cnn breaking news. i have heartbreaking news to report. we are just getting the confirm, abdul rahman, the 26-year-old aide worker has been beheaded by isis. if you're just joining us, peter kassig has now been beheaded by isis. isis actually threatened to behead him earlier this month. he was captured about a year ago

during a humanitarian mission in syria. we had seen repeated videos from his mother pleading for his release. we heard him described as a passionate young man. this is the fifth western hostage that isis has beheaded so far this year. james foley, sotloff, both u.s. journalists, david haines and allen henning as well. peter kassig was deployed in iraq in 2007 as a u.s. army ranger. he went back to iraq and syria to help war-torn victims. joining me on the line now -- i'm being told we don't have one of our experts just yet. if you're just joining us, we are getting this breaking news that peter kassig, also known as abdul rahman who had been to

syria to volunteer has now been beheaded by isis. isis had been threatening to behead him since last month. he was taken captive in october 2013. this beheading also coming days just after general martin dempsey saying that progress is being made against isis in iraq. in fact, peter kassig had been interviewed by arwa damon in syria as well. he talked about how passionate he was about helping war-torn victims in syria. this is the fifth western hostage that has been beheaded by isis in syria and iraq so far this year. once again, those victims so far being james foley, u.s. journalist james foley, steven sotloff, british aide worker david haines and allen henning as well. this is someone who a lot of people had described as someone who was very compassionate, someone who had desperate, deep

desire to save lives and help people. he had recently converted to islam. we know that his muslim name was abdul rahman and his parents repeatedly referred to him by his muslim name in videos where they were pleading for isis to set him free. we know his mother tried to communicate with isis leaders on twitter twitter but she did not response. isis had been threatening to behead him since last month when they beheaded allen henning. this was the british aide worker allen henning. if you're just joining us, we are getting pretty significant breaking news into cnn that peter kassig, also known as abdul rahman has now been beheaded in syria. he had been held in syria for about a year, ever since october 2013. he had gone to syria to help victims of war-torn syria. that is what he was passionate about, what he was pursuing.

he did work as an army ranger in 2007. he was deployed in iraq and decided to go back because he became passionate about the middle east and about -- and passionate as well about helping war-torn victims. if you're just joining us, we're getting pretty devastating breaking news into cnn that peter kassig, also known as abdul rahman, 26 years old, he had gone to syria to volunteer as an emt over there, helping victims of the war. that was what he was passionate about. we are getting pretty sad news right now, that he has been beheaded, that isis has released a video of his beheading. this is a man that people had just really admired for his compassion, for the fact that he was so desperate to go out to that part of the world and help other people, especially after being deployed there as a u.s.

army ranger. he decided to go back there and live there, move there permanently. isis had been holding him for roughly around one year. in fact we know he wrote a letter to his parents about the possibility that he might die, saying, quote, i'm obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing. and wondering and not even being sure if i should even hope at all. obviously very touching words to are a man actually held captive by isis since october 2013. once again, this very sad, tragic, breaking news that peter kassig also known as abdul rahman, 26 years old, living in syria, working there, you can see him helping victims of war-torn syria has been beheaded in iraq. isis had been threatening to behead him in the previous video of the beheading of allen henning, a british humanitarian

worker after they beheaded allen henning, they threatened to behead peter kassig. now we know that has actually happened, peter kassig, 26 years old, who had gone to syria to volunteer as an emt after being drawn to help people, after being deployed in iraq since 2007 as a u.s. army ranger, we now know that peter kassig has been beheaded by isis. joining me on the phone now from london is middle east expert of the london school of economics. fawaz, this is sad, tragic, breaking news. is isis going to continue beheading people as long as the air strikes continue? is that what this is about? >> this is about the fact that this is the only means for the so-called islamic state to retaliate against the americans and the western powers. they have no other means to do so.

they are being squeezed. they're on the defensive. their leadership is being targeted by the americans. they're hurting. their advance has been basically stopped. they have lost hundreds, if not more than a thousand skilled fighters in the last few weeks. the americans are getting good intelligence on their top leadership. we have reports that basically the americans have killed several of their -- in ttop lieutenants in the last week or so. this is a desperate move on the part of the islamic state to show it has capacity to retaliate against the americans. what else they have? here is the problem for the so-called islamic state. peter basically converted to islam. many top clerics and even milita militant ideologues have called

on the islamic state to spare his life. he has been helping syrians. he helped radical militants who were fighting against the regime. this particular act shows not only the desperation of isis but also their predicament, because now they're facing not only the opposition of the international community, some of the most radical ideologues, including some of their mentors, now view this particular act, killing a converted westerner into islam, the height of not only foolishness but in fact violating very important premises in islamic law and islamic sharia. >> i have to ask you, what should the u.s. do about this? how should they handle this? we know americans do not negotiate with terrorists. but -- is the way they're handling the situation the

correct way? is not negotiating with them the best way to go about this, given that so many other european countries do give out ransoms? >> absolutely. you have two different methodologies. on the one hand, spain and france and other countries have paid tens of millions of dollars in order to get their hostages back from the so-called islamic state. the americans and the british have made a conscious decision. if you pay money, if you negotiate financially over your hostages, basically this is a deadly cycle. because where would you draw the line? so this is a strategic, conscious decision on the part of the americans and the british and unfortunately and sadly and tragically, several now, three americans and two british have paid with their life. the reality is, for your own viewers, this is all-out war. yes, we need to talk about

individuals. we talk about the pain, about their family, the beloved one, but the reality is, this is a war to the last time. the leader of the so-called islamic state made it very clear this week, he said we will fight to the last man. there are no return anymore. the americans are talking about several years of war against isis and isis is fighting to the bitter end. this is going to be a very prolonged, very costly, very uncertain, very risky fight against the so-called islamic state because you're really facing one of the most extremist factions to emerge in modern arab and muslim history in the last few hundred years. remember, i think now our hearts and prayers go to the families -- the family of peter. but the reality is, hundreds of muslims have been killed, if not thousands. that's just minorities, even

sunni muslims. you have to convert to this extremist ideology ever isis or you get killed. you're talking about thousands of muslims who have paid with their lives for standing up or even for resisting this extremist ideology that has emerged in the heart of the arab world, iraq and syria. >> peter kassig converted to islam. do you think the fact that he was an army ranger, did that make him more susceptible to be killed? >> no, not at all. i would argue, in fact, everything gets forgiven. he has made a major shift in his life. he converted to islam. he has basically, quote, unquote, seen the light. and the reality is in islamic doctrine, in islamic law, i mean, there's a great deal of debate that you don't kill muslims. but you see, you'll see the

reports in the next few days, the so-called islamic state will challenge his conversion. they're going to say that he was a spy. they're going to say that they did not believe his conversion. they're going to undermine his credibility and faith. this is the only way for them to rationalize his beheading. but the reality is, there is no takers for this particular ideology among not only the mainstream islamic clerics but even among the ideologues, the radical ideologues. they talk about isis as really part of the courage in islamic history is an extremist faction that have violated the deep premise of islamic law and sharia. in this particular sense, i think we lose the big picture. if we focus on the theology, you cannot understand this particular organization, the so-called islamic state or isis without focusing on power, on

politics, on mastering. the islamic state is trying to establish an ideal system, call it whatever it is, the khalifa. what matters is power, control. they have a particular twisted vision of islamic history that violates very deeply entrenched ideas about tolerance, about co-existence, about respect for human life and dignity. >> yes, i mao en, clearly isis have misinterpreted islam. but just quickly, general martin dempsey has said that he believes that progress is being made against isis. would you say that's true? >> i think we're talking about slow progress. we're talking about the fact that the iraqi army and iraqi forces are standing up. we're talking about that the

isis search has been blunted. we're talking about the fact that isis has made a last stand in kobani. kobani is a town, it failed to capture kobani. it lost almost 800 skilled fighters. that is, you have now an international coalition made up of almost more than 50 states. all in all, a good beginning. but the reality is, as he said, general dempsey, this fight is going to be very long. we're talking about a few years. i would argue to defeat this ideolo ideology, you need probably a decade, a bottom-up approach as opposed to the top-down approach. boots on the ground or air power will defeat this particularly nasty organization from the local communities it has blended in particular in iraq and syria. it's not just about dismantling the killing machine, it's about

defeating this extremist ideology. >> fawaz, we have to interrupt you. that does it for this special hour of coverage. i'm zain asher. stay with us. back for another hour of more news. leave your car unprotecte. but a lot of us leave our identities unprotected. nearly half a million cars were stolen in 2012, but for every car stolen, 34 people had their identities stolen. identity thieves can steal your money, damage your credit, and wreak havoc on your life. why risk it when you can help protect yourself from identity theft with one call to lifelock, the leader in identity-theft protection? lifelock actively patrols your sensitive, personal information every second of every day, helping to guard your social security number, your bank accounts and credit, even the equity in your home -- your valuable personal assets. look. your bank may alert you to suspicious activity on your credit or debit card. but that still may leave you vulnerable to big losses

if a thief opens new accounts in your name or decides to drain your savings, home equity, or retirement accounts. and your credit report may only tell you after your identity's been compromised. but lifelock is proactive protection and watches out for you in ways that banks and credit-card companies alone just can't, giving you the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. whenever the patented lifelock identity alert system detects a threat to your identity, you'll be notified by phone, text, or e-mail, helping you to stop identity thieves before they do damage. you even get a $1 million service guarantee. that's right. if your identity is ever compromised, lifelock will spend up to $1 million on experts to help restore it. you wouldn't leave your car unprotected. don't leave your money, credit, and good name unprotected. call now, and try lifelock risk-free for 60 days. act now, and get this document shredder free. that's a $29 value.

♪ or go to lifelock.com/go. try lifelock risk-free for 60 days and get this document shredder free -- a $29 value -- when you use promo code go. call now. delsym helps silence coughs for a full 12 hours with an coughing can really be disruptive. advanced time release formula for all day or all night relief. bianca! [cheering] delsym. silence is relief. this is cnn breaking news. peter kassig, also known as abdul rahman, the 26-year-old who had actually gone to syria to volunteer as an emt has now been beheaded in syria by isis militants. this breaking news just coming to us within the last hour. isis in fact